As Ladakh stand-off continues, Chinese military says there are ‘differing perceptions’ of LAC

Beijing: Amid the continuing stand-off with Indian troops in the Ladakh region, the Chinese military on Monday for the first time commented on the recent border incidents, saying there are "differing perceptions" of the LAC but the two sides can resolve boundary issues through dialogue.

"We have noted the relevant media reports," the office of the spokesman of China's ministry of national defence said in response to a query from PTI here about the stand-off between the troops of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and that of India in Chumar area of Ladakh which has been continuing for over a week.

"The China-India boundary dispute is an issue left over from history. The boundary between the two countries has not been demarcated till now and there are differing perceptions with regards to the line of actual control (LAC)," military said in its first comments on the incident which cast a shadow over President Xi Jinping's high-profile visit to India.

"The border troops of China have always strictly observed the relevant agreements signed between the two countries. The two sides can properly resolve issues arising in the border areas through dialogue and consultations," it said.

The Chinese military referred to the joint statement issued at the end of Xi's visit, stating that the two countries wished to build a closer developmental partnership recognising peace and tranquility on the China-India border areas as an important guarantor for the development and continued growth of bilateral relations.

"They (Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi) also reiterated that pending a final resolution of the boundary question, the two sides would continue to make joint efforts to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas," the military said.

"We are willing to work with the Indian side to earnestly implement the important consensus agreed upon by the leaders of the two countries and work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the China-India border areas," the PLA communique said without specifying how to resolve the issue.

On Sunday, chiefs of staff of the PLA met to improve the efficiency of the military command under new circumstances.

It is not clear whether the border stand-off in Ladakh was discussed.

Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a media briefing on Monday that President Xi's visit to India removed "some suspicions" between the two countries, pushed the ties to a "new age" and during talks an "important consensus" was reached on politically resolving the border issue through friendly coordination.

"We can say President Xi's visit to India has removed some of the suspicions of two countries and pushed bilateral relations to a new age," Hua said.